Synthesis, Structure, and Properties of Compounds in the NaHSO_4−CsHSO_4 System. 1. Crystal Structures of Cs_2Na(HSO_4)_3 and CsNa_2(HSO_4_)3

Exploratory synthesis in the NaHSO₄-CsHSO₄ system, aimed at discovering novel proton conducting solids, resulted in the new compounds CsNa₂(HSO₄)₃ and Cs₂Na(HSO₄)₃. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (performed at room temperature) revealed CsNa₂(HSO₄)₃ to crystallize in the cubic space group P2₁3 with lattice parameters a=10.568(2)Å and Z=4, whereas CS2Na(HSO₄)₃, studied by both single-crystal neutron and X-ray methods, crystallizes in the hexagonal space group P6₃/m. The latter compound has lattice parameters a=8.5712(17) and c=9.980(2)Å, and Z=2. The unit cell volumes are 1180.4(4) and 634.9(2)ų, respectively, giving calculated densities of 2.645 and 3.304 mg m⁻³. Refinement using all observed reflections yielded a weighted residual, R-w(F²), of 0.0515 based on F² X-ray values for CsNa₂(HSO₄)₃. For Cs₂Na(HSO₄)₃ the analogous X-ray and neutron values were 0.0483 and 0.1715, respectively. Both structures contain a single, crystallographically distinct, asymmetric hydrogen bond (as confirmed by NMR investigations) and unique, three-membered (HSO₄)₃ rings. The geometric match between the NaO₆ octahedra and the rings suggests the sodium polyhedra may serve to template the (HSO₄)₃ unit. In CsNa₂(HSO₄)₃ the rings form a distorted cubic close-packed array. The Cs atoms are located within the "octahedral" sites of this array, and the Na atoms, within the "tetrahedral" sites. The rings in CS₂Na(HSO₄)₃ are linked together by NaO6 octahedra to form infinite Na(HSO₄)₃ chains that extend along 001. The hexagonal compound exhibits disorder about the sulfate tetrahedron that suggests a P6₃/m → P6 phase transition may occur upon cooling

Захист від недобросовісної конкуренції у медичній сфері: проблеми правововго регулювання

Кожна людина має право на здорові умови життя, але напевно ще жодному не вдавалось уникнути звернень до лікарень, аптек, та інших організацій медичної сфери. Метою даної статті є дослідження захисту від недобросовісної конкуренції у медичній сфері в Україні та інших країнах та розроблення наукових рекомендацій щодо вдосконалення українського законодавства щодо врегулювання відносин щодо здійснення господарювання в медичній сфері

Role of circulating mirnas in therapeutic response in epithelial ovarian cancer: A systematic revision

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide, mostly due to nonspecific symptoms and a lack of screening tests, which, taken together, contribute to delayed diagnosis and treatment. The current clinical biomarker is serum CA-125, which allows the identification of most advanced primary and relapsed disease and correlates with disease burden; however, as well highlighted in the literature, CA-125 often lacks sensitivity and specificity, and is not helpful in monitoring chemotherapeutic response or in predicting the risk of relapse. Given that, the identification of novel biomarkers able to foster more precise medical approaches and the personalization of patient management represents an unmet clinical requirement. In this context, circulating miRNAs may represent an interesting opportunity as they can be easily detected in all biological fluids. This is particularly relevant when looking for non-invasive approaches that can be repeated over time, with no pain and stress for the oncological patient. Given that, the present review aims to describe the circulating miRNAs currently identified as associated with therapeutic treatments in OC and presents a complete overview of the available evidence

Intersectorale samenwerking in de biologische landbouw: teelt van voedergewassen en rantsoenen voor varkens en leghennen

In dit project worden enkele scenario's getest voor biologische varkens en pluimveeproductie waarbij zoveel mogelijk gebruik wordt gemaakt van retourstromen en/of inlands geteeld krachtvoer. Er zijn vier scenario's opgesteld: rantsoen met 100% inlands krachtvoer, met 50% inlands krachtvoer met NL reststromen plus inlands krachtvoer en tot slot een rantsoen met EU reststromen en EU geteeld krachtvoer

Hemichannel-mediated and pH-based feedback from horizontal cells to cones in the vertebrate retina

Background: Recent studies designed to identify the mechanism by which retinal horizontal cells communicate with cones have implicated two processes. According to one account, horizontal cell hyperpolarization induces an increase in pH withinthe synaptic cleft that activates the calcium current (Ca2+-current) in cones, enhancing transmitter release. An alternative account suggests that horizontal cell hyperpolarization increases the Ca2+-current to promote transmitter release through ahemichannel-mediated ephaptic mechanism.Methodology/Principal Findings: To distinguish between these mechanisms, we interfered with the pH regulating systems in the retina and studied the effects on the feedback responses of cones and horizontal cells. We found that the pH buffers HEPES and Tris partially inhibit feedback responses in cones and horizontal cells and lead to intracellular acidification ofneurons. Application of 25 mM acetate, which does not change the extracellular pH buffer capacity, does lead to both intracellular acidification and inhibition of feedback. Because intracellular acidification is known to inhibit hemichannels, the key experiment used to test the pH hypothesis, i.e. increasing the extracellular pH buffer capacity, does not discriminatebetween a pH-based feedback system and a hemichannel-mediated feedback system. To test the pH hypothesis in a manner independent of artificial pH-buffer systems, we studied the effect of interfering with the endogenous pH buffer, the bicarbonate/carbonic anhydrase system. Inhibition of carbonic anhydrase allowed for large changes in pH in the synapticcleft of bipolar cell terminals and cone terminals, but the predicted enhancement of the cone feedback responses, according to the pH-hypothesis, was not observed. These experiments thus failed to support a proton mediated feedback mechanism. The alternative hypothesis, the hemichannel-mediated ephaptic feedback mechanism, was therefore studied experimentally, and its feasibility was buttressed by means of a quantitative computer model of the cone/horizontal cellsynapse.Conclusion: We conclude that the data presented in this paper offers further support for physiologically relevant ephaptic interactions in the retina

Linking good agricultural practices and climate smart agriculture

Recently, the concept of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) was introduced to position agriculture and food security in relation to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) with the aim to create cleaner and safer production systems and products has been around for a while. Because the goals of CSA and GAP ultimately need to be achieved by farmers it is logical to link and integrate CSA goals with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). This report provides some insight in how this can be done and uses cases to illustrate some of the issues

Dynamics of Collapse of flexible Polyelectrolytes and Polyampholytes

We provide a theory for the dynamics of collapse of strongly charged polyelectrolytes (PEs) and flexible polyampholytes (PAs) using Langevin equation. After the initial stage, in which counterions condense onto PE, the mechanism of approach to the globular state is similar for PE and PA. In both instances, metastable pearl-necklace structures form in characteristic time scale that is proportional to N^{4/5} where N is the number of monomers. The late stage of collapse occurs by merger of clusters with the largest one growing at the expense of smaller ones (Lifshitz- Slyozov mechanism). The time scale for this process T_{COLL} N. Simulations are used to support the proposed collapse mechanism for PA and PE.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figure

PERFECTRA:A pragmatic, multicentre, real-life study comparing treat-to-target strategies with baricitinib versus TNF inhibitors in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis after failure on csDMARDs

Objective To compare the effectiveness of a strategy administering baricitinib versus one using TNF-inhibitors (TNFi) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) failure in a real-life treat-to-target (T2T) setting. Methods Patients with biological and targeted synthetic DMARD (b/tsDMARD) naïve RA with disease duration ≤5 years without contraindications to b/tsDMARD were randomised to either TNFi or baricitinib when csDMARD failed to achieve disease control in a T2T setting. Changes in clinical and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were assessed at 12-week intervals for 48 weeks. The primary endpoint was non-inferiority, with testing for superiority if non-inferiority is demonstrated, of baricitinib strategy in the number of patients achieving American College of Rheumatology 50 (ACR50) response at 12 weeks. Secondary endpoints included 28-joint count Disease Activity Score with C reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) &lt;2.6, changes in PROMs and radiographic progression. Results A total of 199 patients (TNFi, n=102; baricitinib, n=97) were studied. Both study groups were similar. Baricitinib was both non-inferior and superior in achieving ACR50 response at week 12 (42% vs 20%). Moreover, 75% of baricitinib patients achieved DAS28-CRP &lt;2.6 at week 12 compared with 46% of TNFi patients. On secondary outcomes throughout the duration of the study, the baricitinib strategy demonstrated comparable or better outcomes than TNFi strategy. Although not powered for safety, no unexpected safety signals were seen in this relatively small group of patients. Conclusion Up to present, in a T2T setting, patients with RA failing csDMARDs have two main strategies to consider, Janus Kinases inhibitor versus bDMARDs (in clinical practice, predominantly TNFi). The PERFECTRA study suggested that starting with baricitinib was superior over TNFi in achieving response at 12 weeks and resulted in improved outcomes across all studied clinical measures and PROMs throughout the study duration in these patients.</p

PERFECTRA:A pragmatic, multicentre, real-life study comparing treat-to-target strategies with baricitinib versus TNF inhibitors in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis after failure on csDMARDs

Objective To compare the effectiveness of a strategy administering baricitinib versus one using TNF-inhibitors (TNFi) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) failure in a real-life treat-to-target (T2T) setting. Methods Patients with biological and targeted synthetic DMARD (b/tsDMARD) naïve RA with disease duration ≤5 years without contraindications to b/tsDMARD were randomised to either TNFi or baricitinib when csDMARD failed to achieve disease control in a T2T setting. Changes in clinical and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were assessed at 12-week intervals for 48 weeks. The primary endpoint was non-inferiority, with testing for superiority if non-inferiority is demonstrated, of baricitinib strategy in the number of patients achieving American College of Rheumatology 50 (ACR50) response at 12 weeks. Secondary endpoints included 28-joint count Disease Activity Score with C reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) &lt;2.6, changes in PROMs and radiographic progression. Results A total of 199 patients (TNFi, n=102; baricitinib, n=97) were studied. Both study groups were similar. Baricitinib was both non-inferior and superior in achieving ACR50 response at week 12 (42% vs 20%). Moreover, 75% of baricitinib patients achieved DAS28-CRP &lt;2.6 at week 12 compared with 46% of TNFi patients. On secondary outcomes throughout the duration of the study, the baricitinib strategy demonstrated comparable or better outcomes than TNFi strategy. Although not powered for safety, no unexpected safety signals were seen in this relatively small group of patients. Conclusion Up to present, in a T2T setting, patients with RA failing csDMARDs have two main strategies to consider, Janus Kinases inhibitor versus bDMARDs (in clinical practice, predominantly TNFi). The PERFECTRA study suggested that starting with baricitinib was superior over TNFi in achieving response at 12 weeks and resulted in improved outcomes across all studied clinical measures and PROMs throughout the study duration in these patients.</p